*Slow Clap* Well Played, ASB Bank, Well Played.

 I'm not going to lie, when I first saw the personalised video message ASB tweeted me while I was watching Django Unchained, I giggled like a school girl, much to the annoyance of everyone around me in the theatre.The message was all thanks to my Foursquare checkin at the gym (Yes, Foursquare is still alive and kicking). Through what ASB calls "Friendly Stalking', they saw the checkin and quickly decided to do a real-time video response.The video is part of their 'Succeed On' campaign featuring Brian Blessed, a ASB character that celebrates New Zealanders and their achievements no matter how big or small. (Nice to see a brand going against the tall poppy syndrome we have here in NZ!)These videos immediately brought me back to the Old Spice campaign, where the Old Spice Man answered a whole bunch of tweets and posted them on Youtube. In my mind, Old Spice will still always be the originator of this concept..It seems I am not alone in thinking we've seen this concept before, with many people challenging the creativity behind the new ASB campaign. I personally see nothing wrong with what they've done. ASB has taken an existing concept, which saw huge success in America, and applied it to the New Zealand market. What's wrong with that? Hasn't this sort of business practice been around for ages? Businesses figure out what is working and they run with it...without overdoing it *cough, cough* Harlem Shake *cough*. I don't believe there's such a thing as an 'original' idea anymore. Rather, there are lots of different interpretations and twists on existing ideas.For me, the ASB video came as a surprise, and that element of surprise made it effective. Marketing is all about keeping customers on their toes - nothing should  become repetitive, otherwise it's insanity (hat tip Albert Einstein).These are my thoughts on the matter but I would love to hear what you think. Is the ASB campaign a hit or miss in your opinion? Let us know in the comment section below.

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